Theta oscillations in human memory
Abstract
Theta frequency (4–8 Hz) fluctuations of the local field potential have long been implicated in learning and memory. Human studies of episodic memory, however, have provided mixed evidence for theta’s role in successful learning and remembering. Re-evaluating these conflicting findings leads us to conclude that (1) successful memory is associated both with increased narrow-band theta oscillations and a broad-band tilt of the power spectrum; that (2) theta oscillations specifically support associative memory, whereas the spectral tilt reflects a general index of activation; and that (3) different cognitive contrasts (generalized vs. specific to memory), recording techniques (invasive vs. non-invasive) and referencing schemes (local vs. global) alter the balance between the two phenomena to make one or the other more easily detectable.
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